In an outstanding debut showing, the Singapore’s Women’s League of Legends: Wild Rift team clinched Singapore’s first silver medal in the 31st Southeast Asian Games (31st SEA Games) Esports event.
The tournament began with a group stage that pitted the teams of Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, and Laos together in a best-of-1, round-robin format. The Philippine’s SIBOL Women’s Wild Rift team bulldozed its competitors, winning 4-0 with a 100% win rate to secure the first seed, followed by Vietnam in second and Singapore in third.
The semi-finals saw the Philippines against Thailand, and Singapore against Vietnam, as the teams faced off against each other in a best-of-five. The Filipina representatives managed to win against Thailand 3-1, while Singapore swept the host country Vietnam 3-0.
This meant that Singapore would have to face down the undefeated Filipina team in their match for the gold medal. The first game was an easy victory for the Philippines, which crushed the inexperienced Singapore representatives in a quick 14-minute game. The second game saw Singapore hold out a little longer, to no avail however, as the Philippines similarly dominated to take their second victory.
In the grand finals, the Singapore team made their last stand, maintaining control of the match in the early game. However, the Philippines managed to regain their composure and bounce back, winning team fights to convincingly secure the Philippine’s first gold medal in the Esports category.
Ultimately, the Singapore Women’s Wild Rift team has had a compelling debut, as they put up a good fight against their four other competitors. Unfortunately, their inexperience led to them falling short of clinching the gold medal, but they have shown that their potential is nothing to scoff at. Their strong showing enabled them to bring Singapore’s first and only silver medal in the Esports event home.
Meanwhile, the Singapore Mobile Legends: Bang Bang team lost to the Philippines’ team in the playoffs, but managed to beat Malaysia to secure their bronze medal. The Singapore Men’s Wild Rift team also won a bronze medal, after losing to silver medalists Thailand, but emerging victorious against Malaysia in their bronze medal match.
Despite coming up short in their respective competitions, our esports medalists at the 31st SEA Games all gave their best and didn’t go home empty-handed; they were awarded with some silverware for their efforts – that’s incredible in and of itself. We couldn’t be more proud of their accomplishments, and look forward to more strong showings in future events.
